News

Earth Day at 50: Towards a More Inclusive Environmental Movement

This spring, as we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, many social historians are asking questions about the legacy and efficacy of what was initially known as the “environmental teach-ins.”

Bird alarm calls help rhinos avoid people—and possibly poachers

Red-billed oxpeckers that feed on rhinos’ ticks alert them to approaching humans, likely helping the poor-sighted animals survive.

Using The Loop to go back in time

The Cultural Walk reminds us that we are newcomers, just the latest arrivals in a long line of people who have found refuge and made a home in the Sonoran Desert. The informational plaques explain that the Hohokam arrived in the 1100s. Yet even they were far from the first to make this valley their home. People have been residing here for almost 4,000 years.

Searching for the fishing cat’s gleaming eyes in the velvet night

How evidence of the presence of the fishing cat in mangroves of the Godavari delta is fuelling conservation efforts.

Following California’s water as another dry spell looms

What does a Central Valley almond farmer have in common with a San Diego homeowner? The answer is simple: Water. More specifically, the amount of water they need to sustain their respective lifestyles — which is a lot.

Politicians ban reusable grocery bags for spreading coronavirus — what’s the science say?

Shoppers need to wash their reusable bags more often, even in better times.

UArizona Tracking Coronavirus Through Wastewater Across US

Researchers at the University of Arizona Water and Energy Sustainable Technology Center are testing wastewater across the country to trace coronavirus prevalence in communities and help public health officials better prepare for the future.

Tree Rings Could Pin Down Thera Volcano Eruption Date

Research led by the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research has anchored a long sequence of tree rings, providing context for the civilizations that existed throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Aspen trees face new insect threat

Coronavirus Pandemic Highlights Vital Need for Vertical Farms in World Cities

The speed with which the coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, Europe and North America metastasized into a full-blown global pandemic — catching many world governments by surprise and with little preparation — underscores just how our world today is highly interconnected and how, in order to contain and stem the surging pandemic, temporary disconnection from the physically-networked world by cities, regions and even entire nations has become an urgent imperative.